Gearing for automobiles.



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APPLICATION rum) oo'r. 20.1903.

2 SHEHTBBHEET 1.

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eAlforqzys V No. 781,677. PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905. 0. RICHARDS.

GEARING FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED 00'1. 20.1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

UNITED STATES Patented February 7. 1905.

PATENT OFFICE,

GEARlNG FOR AUTOMOBILES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 781,677, dated February'7, 1905.

Application filed October 20, 1903. Serial No. 177,785.

T (077 1/71 0711, it HZ/IIVI/ concern:

Be it known that I, ORLANDO RIouARns, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bristol, in the county of Kenosha and State of \Visconsin,have invented a new and useful Gearing for Automobiles, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to gearing for automobiles and analogous vehiclesin which the tractionwheels are positively driven by a power-o ieratedshaft, and has for its objects to produce a device of this character ofcomparatively simple construction, in which the wheel-supporting axleand the drive-shaft are provided with coincident pivoted or flexiblesections adjacent to their outer ends,whereby the wheels may be readilyturned to facilitate guiding the machine in rounding abrupt or sharpcurves.

With thes and other objects in view the invention comprises the novelfeatures of construction and combination of parts more fully hereinafterdescribed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a vehicleembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of thefront axle. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the rear axle.

Referring to the drawings. 1 indicates the front axle, composed,preferably, of a pair of tubularsections 2, disposed inparallelend-toend relation and having their inner ends in threadedengagement with collars or flanges 3, provided upon a central hollowcasing 4, and their outer ends in similar engagement with collars orflanges provided upon end casings 6, having in turn upon the outer facesat points opposite to or in alinement with the flanges similar flangesor collars '7, into which is screwed or otherwise secured the inner endsof tubular spindles 8, upon which the tractionwheels 9 are journaled forrotation, the outer ends of the collars 7 serving in this connection asbearing-shoulders for the inner ends of the wheel-hubs.

10 designates a drive-shaft extending centrally and longitudinallythrough the tubular axle 1 and having the wheels 9 fixed upon its outerends by suitable keys 11, whereby the shaft serves in operation topositively drive the wheels. This shaft comprises a pair of preferablytubular sections 12, disposed end to endin parallel relation, with theirinner adjacent ends projecting into the central casing & and eachprovided in turn with an end section 12, said end sections beingconnected, respectively, with the sections 12, each by a flexibleportion 12", housed within one of the end casings 6. The flexibleportions 12" of the shaft each consists of a. plurality of primarytubular members or sections 13 and a plurality of secondary sections 14.which are of considerably smaller diameter than the primary sections andare disposed centrally of, with their ends extending into the latter.The sections are connected or coupled by transverse pins or devices If),extendingthrough alincd openings in the primary members and longitudinalslots 16 in the secondary sections, the pin connecting the ends of onepair of sections being disposed at right angles to that connecting thenext pair, whereby a substantially universal motion or flexibility ofthe same as a whole is obtained.

Each of the end casings (5 is composed of a pair of sections havingtheir meeting ends pivotally united by vertically-disposcd pins ormembers 17, which permit the pivoting or turning of one section relativeto the other in a horizontal plane, it being umlcrstood, of course, thatin practice the outer section, carrying the spindle S, is the one whichwill move. Thus each wheel may swing radially around the pins 17 as acenter to facilitate guiding of the vehicle, and this swinging of thewheel will be permitted owing to the flexible portion of the drive-shaftbeing housed within the casing coincident with the pivotal point of thesections, while at the same time the shaft will during such turning ofthe wheels continue to positively drive the latter. The outer pivotedends of the shaft are connected for uniform simultaneous movement by arod or other connecting element 18, pivoted at its ends to crank-arms19, in turn fixed at their inner ends to the upper faces of andprojecting transversely outward from the collars 7 in a horizontalplane, one of said arms being connected by a link with anoperating-lever 21, which is manipulated as usual for steering thevehicle.

Housed within the casing L is the shaft-operating gearing consisting ofa sprocket-wheel 22, loosely mounted upon the adjacent ends of theshaft-sections 12, and a pair of internallytoothed gear-casings 23,fixed one upon each of the shaft-sections and connected with thesprocket-wheel by means of pinions ,which cooperate with thegear-casings to constitute form speed, but will when the machine is inthe act of turning travel at a differential speed imparted through thegearing, as is customary in devices of this character.

24 designates the rear axle, consisting of a pair of tubular sectionshaving their inner ends tapped into internally-threaded flanges 25,formed upon a central sectional casing 26, andtheir outer endsinternally threaded to receive the inner ends of tubular spindles 27,

- upon which the traction-wheels are journaled.

Extending centrally and longitudinally through the rear axle is a shaft28, to the outer ends of which the wheels 29 are fixed by transversepins or devices 30, while upon the center of the shaft, within thecasing 26, there is fixed a sprocket-wheel 31, connected by a chain 32with the wheel 22 on shaft 10, whereby in practice both shafts arepositively driven for driving their respective wheels.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I produce adevice of simpleconstruction which is admirably adapted for the attainment of the endsin view; but it is to be understood that 1 do not limit myself to theprecise details herein set forth, inasmuch as minor changes I may bemade therein without departing from the spirit or scope of theinvention. For ex ample, the shaft-sections 12 and 14 instead of beingtubular, as herein shown, may be solid,

and the shaft and its attend ant parts may be employed for drivingpurposes in connection with various forms of machines and machineryother than that herein illustrated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- A tubular axleincluding a central hollow section having internally-threaded collars,tubular sections engaging said threaded collars, end casings, eachconsisting of a pair of pivotally-connected members, the inner membersbeing provided with internally-threaded collars engaging the outer endsof the tubular sections, internally-threaded collars upon the outer endsof the outer members of the end sections, tubular spindles engaging saidinternally-threaded c0llars,and wheels journaled upon said spindles withthe inner ends of their hubs contacting with the outer ends of theinternally-tlweaded collars in which the tubular spindles are mounted;in combination with a drive-shaft disposed within the axle and havingits extremities fixedly connected with the hubs of the wheels; saiddrive-sha ft being composed of two inner and two outer members, theinner and the outer members being connected by universal joints disposedwithin the end casings of the tubular axle; internallytoothedgear-casings secured upon the inner shaft-sections near the inner,adjacent ends of the latter, a sprocket-wheel journaled loosely upon theadjacent ends of the inner shaft-sections which are thereby maintainedin axial alinement,and gears disposed within and meshing with theinternally-toothed gear-casings and connecting the latter with thesprocketwheel.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ORLANDO RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

WM. 0. CROSBY, WV. H. HARRISON.

